Budi Karya Inaugurated: Now To Cianjur And Sukabumi You Can Take The Train From Bogor

Illustration. (Photo: Ministry of Transportation)

JAKARTA - Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi today inaugurated the reactivation of the Cianjur-Ciranjang-Cipatat railway line, which is the second segment of the Cianjur-Padalarang train line reactivation program.

Budi explained that this reactivation was carried out to unravel the density of road traffic in the southern part of West Java. It is hoped that the operation of the Cianjur-Cipatat train will facilitate the connectivity and accessibility of the Bogor and Sukabumi-Padalarang and surrounding communities.

"Currently, the traffic conditions from Jakarta and its surroundings to the southern part of West Java, the density is quite high, causing congestion, and the travel time is long. For this reason, the Ministry of Transportation has been carrying out the construction of a 57 km double track Bogor-Sukabumi railway and is carrying out a program. reactivation of the Cianjur-Padalarang railway line, "he said, during the virtual inauguration of the Cianjur-Cipatat train operation, Monday, September 21.

The reactivation of the Ciranjang-Cipatat railway line is a follow-up to the reactivation of segment 1 Cianjur-Ciranjang which has been carried out in 2019. Budi said that the work for segment 2 of Ciranjang-Cipatat that has been completed includes upgrading the railway line and normalizing road bodies. The budget used was Rp. 118.8 billion which came from the 2019 State Budget.

Budi said that the Ministry of Transportation would then build the last segment or segment 3 Cipatat-Padalarang along 13.8 kilometers which is targeted to start in 2022.

The target for the increase in the operation of this railway line is to increase the traffic capacity from 3 train trips to 7 train trips. The addition of the number of train series, previously there were only 5 train series, has increased to 8 series.

In addition, the travel time for the Cipatat-Sukabumi Train or vice versa is 2.5 hours or about 30 minutes faster than the land transportation modes of cars or buses. It is also targeted that the number of passengers transported, which was originally a maximum of 2,169 people per day, could increase to 6,507 people per day.

Meanwhile, for the Cianjur-Padalarang logistics or freight train, which previously had 5 series, it is targeted to increase to 6 series, as well as an increase in train transport capacity from 30 tons per day to 42 tons per day.

"The railway line connectivity is part of an effort to increase the share capital of passenger and freight transportation. The success of this development is a form of commitment and synergy between the Central Government, Regional Governments and BUMNs to consistently build a railway transportation system that makes it easier for service users," he said.

Budi said, the inauguration of the reactivation of this route was also a special gift from the Ministry of Transportation for the people of West Java in the context of National Transportation Day which falls on September 17, 2020.

On the other hand, Budi hopes that the addition of reactivated railways will increase public interest in using public transportation using the railroad mode and trigger economic growth in West Java and its surroundings.

"The government hopes that the construction of double railroad tracks and reactivation can encourage people to want to switch from road transportation to using the railroad mode. In addition, the hope is that industry and trade players will also want to switch from road-based transportation to using road-based transportation modes. rails, "he said.

"I also invite all of us to jointly care for and maintain the railway infrastructure and facilities so that the benefits can be felt in a sustainable manner," he continued.

Pay attention to Health Protocols

Budi also advised PT KAI to carry out its duties by still paying attention to the COVID-19 health protocol as directed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"To Mr. Didiek, I order your task to oversee the health protocol in the field. It is not easy but it must be done in detail. For that I thank you because the train's efforts have also been going well," he said.

Previously, on September 2, an operational trial of the Ciranjan-Cipatat line was carried out by using the Extraordinary Train which contains 5 series of trains from Ciranjang Station to Cipatat Station which can be reached at a speed of 40 km / hour, while the reverse direction is taken at 60 km / hour. .

On the same occasion, the Minister of Transportation also provided assistance of 2,000 free masks to the Cianjur Regency Government, represented by Regional Assistant III of Cianjur Regency Rahmad Hartono.

Also attending to accompany the Minister of Transportation in this activity was Director General of Railways Zulfikri, President Director of PT Kereta Api Indonesia Didiek Hartantyo, Member of Commission V DPR RI Neng Eem Marhamah, and a number of other related officials.